October 2001

Delphi Questions: Dogs on trails, personal days

Delphi Question #480 (received 10 July):

There are two paths on the lower NCAR Mesa Lab property that are
used heavily by the public for walks, runs, and walking dogs. One
of these paths is north of the NCAR road and runs from the end of
Table Mesa Drive. The other runs along the eastern edge of the
NCAR property.

My complaint/suggestion concerns mainly the first of these trails.
The trail and surrounding open space are contaminated heavily by
dog feces and urine. Many children use these paths, raising
serious health risks and even potential liability issues for UCAR.
Over and above the health issues, the odor of the feces and urine
is sometimes quite powerful, particularly near the trail itself.
Furthermore, though I am not an expert in this matter, it is hard
to believe that this high density of feces and urine is helpful to
the fragile environment in the open space.

Many open space areas in the Boulder area have signs stating that
dog owners must collect dog feces. The NOAA-owned open space on
Kohler Mesa has signs stating something to the effect that it is
illegal to leave feces and urine on federal land. I have owned
dogs in the past, and I empathize with the desire to walk and run
with dog companions in the open space. But it is reasonable to
require that owners have their dogs urinate and defecate before
entering open spaces shared with children and people who don't own
dogs. Can NCAR place signs stating that it is illegal, unhealthy,
and rude to leave feces and urine on NCAR property, and can NCAR
provide plastic bags for feces collection?

Response (27 August):

We share your concerns regarding the health risks and the
unsightly nature of animal droppings along hiking trails. We have
discussed the problem with Boulder Open Space officials, with whom
we share custodianship of the trails, and they advised us that the
best solution is to post signs advising dog owners of their legal
responsibilities. We will then report observed violators to the
appropriate city officials for further legal action.

Open Space officials report limited success with bags and trash
cans. Often the bags are just left along the trails for others to
pick up. Trash cans themselves can become a hazard: they require
daily attention; attract rodents, bugs, and insects; and generally
exacerbate the problem. We feel that while signs are appropriate,
bags and trash cans are ineffective solutions to this problem. We
will have UCAR maintenance install appropriate signs.

Steve Sadler, director
Safety and Site Services

Delphi Question #483 (17 August):

I was surprised to learn that UCAR does not offer personal days
off, a practice I had come to expect from modern employers. It
appears that this policy discriminates against non-Christians who
may have to use vacation days to take off religious holidays. This
is especially unfortunate at a time when UCAR is trying to promote
diversity. Are there any plans to offer personal days in addition
to, not in place of, vacation days in the future?

Response (21 August):

You are correct; UCAR does not have a separate category for
personal days. UCAR provides new employees 12 work days of
vacation per year as compared to most other employers who offer
one or two weeks (5 or 10 work days) of vacation in the first
year. This allows UCAR employees two weeks of vacation plus two
additional days for any purpose during the year; in effect
vacation days are personal leave days.

We believe the amount of time granted under UCAR's policies is
very competitive with other organizations for vacation, personal
time off, and holidays. A 2000 survey shows that less than 10% of
Denver/Boulder employers provide new employees with two (or more)
weeks of vacation. Moreover, 85% of Denver/Boulder employers
require employees to have three or more years of service to earn
three weeks of vacation; UCAR employees begin earning three weeks
of vacation after two years of service. About a third of
Denver/Boulder employers have formal policies for personal days
off, giving employees two or three additional days per year. Some
80% of Denver/Boulder employers offer less than 11 holidays. UCAR
follows the 9 federal legal holidays (with the exception of
Columbus day, which is replaced with the day after Thanksgiving)
and adds 2 floater holidays selected by employees each year.

UCAR does not discriminate against employees for religious
reasons; all employees receive equal benefits, including time off.
Employees needing time off for religious purposes should work with
their supervisors. Supervisors have several options to accommodate
these requests; vacation time is one. Division and Program
Administrators were contacted last year concerning such requests,
and there were no problems reported with accommodating employees'
needs.

UCAR's leave policy is currently under review. Consideration is
being given to additional employee flexibility to cover personal,
family, and other needs. I expect we'll know more about any
changes in the policy by the first quarter of next calendar
year.

Bob Roesch, director
Human Resources

Questions and suggestions from the staff to management may be
submitted in confidence to the coordinator, Janet Evans (ext.
1114, ML room 517). They should be submitted in written form,
preferably via interoffice mail in a sealed envelope marked
confidential; they must be signed. Detailed procedures for
submitting questions are given in the
UCAR Policies and Procedures Manual, section 4-1-2.
Questions and answers of general interest to staff are submitted
to Staff Notes Monthly by Janet. They may be edited for
publication. For more information, including links to questions
and answers published in Staff Notes Monthly and a log of
all questions submitted since 1995, see the
Delphi Service Web page.